Sun Burnt (10 page)

One month later . . .

“
Ward Realty, this is Kesslyn. How may I help you
?”
Kesslyn answered the phone and forwarded a call to her boss and best frien
d’
s office.

It was her first day back on the job and possibly the last if she did
n’
t get her shit together. Sh
e’
d been making stupid mistakes all day. It was the story of her life these days. One mistake after another. Well, if Mitchell fired her, at least she would
n’
t need to figure out how to survive. She did
n’
t need to work, but if she spent one more day cooped up at home, she was going to lose her mind.

After being out in the wide open space of Walker Ranch, she was feeling cramped in the brick row house sh
e’
d grown up in. There was plenty of room, and sh
e’
d never felt closed in before. Baltimore was still the same busy, eclectic city. Nothing had changed while she was gone. It was
n’
t the house or the city, but Kesslyn herself, which was different now. Sh
e’
d come home a changed woman.

Kesslyn wished for the millionth time that sh
e’
d never met that handsome Texan in Hooligans on her first night in Walker Creek. It would haunt her for the rest of her life. She might have been able to hold herself apart from Beau if she had
n’
t laughed with him, danced in his arms, or found unequalled passion under his hands and body. She might have made it out with her heart if she had
n’
t begun to dream of little brown-eyed children running the halls of her famil
y’
s big old ranch house. But all of those things had happened.

Now her life was like a purgatory. The days were endless. The nights even more so. She did
n’
t want to eat. Sleeping was nearly impossible. Mitchell had done his best to cheer her up. H
e’
d offered to sell her property commission free. That was crazy. She was
n’
t going to sell the land or company. She just was
n’
t going to live there. That was all. She was considering finding a new lawyer after Mr. Bair
d’
s scheming. She was sure it was against a lawye
r’
s oath of office to manipulate their clients for their own gain.

As far as the ranch and the property she owned in Walker Creek went, Kesslyn had known shortly after arriving there that she could
n’
t sell generations of her famil
y’
s hard work. Bea
u’
s plot to seduce her into staying had been a waste of his time. Sh
e’
d already spoken to the accountants. The account that paid out to the town when things were needed would stay in place. The firm would inform her when they disbursed the funds and where the money was going.

There were cattlemen to run the ranch. She could oversee the business from Baltimore with the help of a manager on site in Texas. It would all work out. There was no need for her to ever see the place again. Even if she wanted to so badly it hurt.

Heaving a sigh of resignation Kesslyn gathered her things and began the short walk from Ward Realty to home. The noise of traffic and rush-hour press of people brought her spirits even lower. The memory of staring up at the Texas night sky from a blanket crept up on her. It would be so peaceful at home. Home. Walker Creek was
n’
t her home. She had to stop thinking that way. She was at home right where she was.

Kesslyn stopped in her tracks a few houses from her own front door. She stood there blinking, sure she was
n’
t seeing correctly. This was it. Sh
e’
d gone over the deep end. Her broken heart was playing tricks on her.

On the front stoop of her home in the downtown Baltimore sat a big man in jeans, cowboy boots, a Stetson, and a black t-shirt rolled up at the sleeves. His giant dually truck was taking up two parking spaces in front of her house and people passing by looked just as confused by the presence of the cowboy on a city street as he looked uncomfortable to be there.

Beau was scanning the busy street. His eyes passed over her once without really seeing her. The recognition dawned and he froze for a second. His throat worked as he swallowed hard. He got to his feet and stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets, walked toward her with that loose limbed gait that was all cowboy.

Kessly
n’
s heart beat a wild tattoo in her chest. He was not the figment of her tormented imagination. Beau was there, on her street, waiting for her. The torment of missing him was suddenly overshadowed by the pain of seeing his handsome face again.

He stopped a couple of feet away and looked her over from head to toe. She must look like a completely different person in her business attire. They stood there, staring at each other, until Kesslyn could
n’
t take it anymore. She walked past him at a brisk pace. She climbed the three steps to her door and dug out her keys. Opening the door, she went inside and attempted to shut it behind her, but a huge boot was jammed in the door. She hooked the security chain, but she could
n’
t shut the door any further. Nor could he push his way in.

“
Kesslyn, baby, we need to talk
,”
he pleaded
.“
Please let me in.
I’
ve missed you so fucking bad. Please, Yankee, just give me a chance to explain
.
”

The sight of him was bad enough, but hearing her name in that slow drawl and deep rumble of his voice shook something loose in her chest. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. She would not cry in front of the man who had shattered her heart. Why did he have to come here, to her home? She did
n’
t need memories of him here too.

“
Ther
e’
s nothing to explain, Beau. I heard everything I needed to hear on the Fourth of July. You did
n’
t need to come all this way. I have no intention of selling. I never really did. You wasted your time. So you can run on home and tell all of your cohorts not to worry. Your work here is done. Maybe the
y’
ll give you the key to the city
.”
She could
n’
t hold back the tears
.“
You can go back to Luann now
.”
She choked on the words
.“
Just please leave me alone
.
”

****

Beau could
n’
t stand to hear the pain in her voice. It had taken him a few days to piece together exactly what had sent Kesslyn running without a word. H
e’
d been hurt at first. Then he was angry as hell. What did a man do when everything h
e’
d been certain of his entire life was wrong? H
e’
d never imagined that he could be happy with just one woman. Now he felt like h
e’
d never be happy again without one woman in particular. Kesslyn had left, and he was
n’
t sure why. He only knew sh
e’
d taken his heart with him when she left. She had
n’
t trusted him. She had
n’
t even given him the chance to explain. She packed her bags and slipped away while he and the other men were out on the range.

When he could
n’
t take the silence any longer and his heart felt like the split in its center would never heal, Beau drove into town. He barged into Hodges Bair
d’
s office and refused to leave until he had Kessly
n’
s address. He was going to find his heartbreaking little yankee. He did
n’
t care what it took. He was going to make her listen to him.

“
I do
n’
t know what you think you heard, Kesslyn, but the time we spent together was not a game for me. Let me in, please, baby
.
”

“I’
m not your baby. Go away
,”
she said through the crack in the door.

Kesslyn was crying. He could hear it in the way her voice cracked. It was all the proof he needed that sh
e’
d been just as hurt and miserable as h
e’
d been since she left him. If she would
n’
t let him in h
e’
d have to bare his heart to her nearly closed door and pray she would listen.

“
Kesslyn, just listen okay
?”
She did
n’
t answer but he knew she was still there leaning against the other side of the door. Trying to send him away. It was now or never.

“
Le
t’
s start with Luann since she started this mess. I have
n’
t dated Luann since high school. Sh
e’
s been waiting for me to crawl back to her ever since then. I was
n’
t interested then and
I’
m not now. So le
t’
s just get past that. Okay
?”
he asked but she did
n’
t respond. He supposed the conversation Kesslyn obviously overheard was playing through her mind
.“
When she was spouting off for the millionth time about not waiting for me forever I just let her go on. She likes to hear her own head rattle and I did
n’
t have it in me to fight with her. I did
n’
t give a damn about her opinion and at the moment I was furious that Hodges had been spreading rumors and running his mouth about conversations h
e’
s had with me. I did
n’
t want people to believe I did
n’
t really love you. And I did love you. I still do. I was just too afraid to say it first.

I love you, Kesslyn. Above anything else, that needs to be said. I love you, and I want to be with you. Not for your ranch or your money or the security of Walker Creek.
I’
m here give you my resignation as your foreman
.
”

“
What? Yo
u’
re just going to quit
?”
She sounded indignant. He had to smile. She really cared about the ranch and the town. H
e’
d known all along she would stay in Texas. It was everyone else in town wh
o’
d been worried.

“
Yes, I am. I ca
n’
t very well run the W from Baltimore, now can I, baby
?”
He squeezed an arm through the crack in the door and felt around until found her hand pressed against the other side. Her long elegant fingers were cold. He wrapped his hand around hers and prayed she would
n’
t send him away. His life would be shit without his redheaded yankee. And no matter what she said, h
e’
d had a good look around her town. She was a yankee. He did
n’
t care where that line was.

“
As much as I love Walker Creek, as much as I love working the cattle and riding over the land, none of that matters without you, Yankee. Whatever you decide to do with your land has no bearing on how I feel about you. I need to be where you are.
I’
m here to explain that, yes, some people in town were worried and, yes, I did get a few unsavory suggestions about how I might help you want to stay in Walker Creek, but that was after we met. After I found out the sexy yankee I sweet talked out of her panties was my boss. Kesslyn, it was after
I’
d already fallen for you
.
”

There was a little gasp. Kesslyn peeked at him through the crack in the door. Her deep blue eyes full of hope and love. She wanted to believe him. Tears still tracked their way down her cheeks.

“
That was all after I realized I was in love you. Baby,
I’
ll do anything you need.
I’
ll move here to be with you. There has to be something a guy like me can do for a living here.
I’
ll figure it out. W
e’
ll find a way. The one thing I wo
n’
t do is leave here until you understand exactly how much you mean to me. I. Love. You
.”
That was it. H
e’
d said what he came to say. He was ready and willing to change his entire life if it meant he got to spend it with Kesslyn. The decision was hers.